BEST OF SHOW – CAYUGA

Category: Best of ShowName of piece: CayugaMaterials: Seat Deck: salvaged wood from The City of Toronto (ice storm and or ash borer) Base: a lightweight composite of cement/ wood chips (City of Toronto wood yard) and straw.Artist: Miles KellerRetail Price: $2500/unitWebsite: dystil.ca

Cayuga is a modular outdoor (and indoor) public seating system. Its sculptural puzzle-like shape allows for multiple configurations creating an undulating topography that speaks to the multiple layers of glacial till that form the landscape in this part of southern Ontario. The wood seating deck (utilizing salvaged wood) is warm, friendly and inviting. The cement/wood composite base is solid, durable and references the kind of technology used to form the bricks produced in the Brick Works kilns. The idea is to employ something we have been experimenting with, a hybrid of cement, wood chips from The City of Toronto wood lots and straw. This will produce a super strong and durable cement composite (essentially a hybrid sustainable indigenous technology) that should stand up well to outdoor public use.

FINALIST – WATERSHED ERRATICS

This artwork presents two tall navigation buoys whimsically out of place on dry ground. Constructed of salvaged local wood they are inspired by flood events at the Evergreen Brickworks and in the lower Don Valley that are widely reported but experienced by few.

They present the Brickworks as a flooded site and are a starting point for further contemplation of the effects of rapid construction of urban hardscapes on the vulnerable Don River watershed system.

Have they been torn from their anchorages and moved to this spot by a powerful hydraulic force?

Have they been installed as navigation aids marking safe passage in anticipation of future rising water levels?

Are they foreign objects designed to provoke curiosity and encourage further contemplation on environmental change, city building, conservation, water management and their collective effects on the Don River watershed?

Is flooding a sign that the Don River is under stress, or is it a return to nature?

Navigation buoys reveal little of their bulbous buoyant substructures as they float upright marking safe passage. Marooned and fully exposed they are an alarming sight and a clear warning to proceed with caution.

Re:FRAME is constructed out of waste 2×4 lumber from common construction sites and urban salvaging. Each year Ontario construction activities produce over 1 million tonnes of waste, 30% of which is wood, including the ubiquitous 2×4. By diverting the 2x4s, Re:FRAME extends their useful life and continues to sequester carbon. When working with waste materials and new materials alike, it is important to limit the amount of waste created. Re:FRAME is designed so that minimal cutting is required and minimal waste is created.

Re:FRAME is a simple piece of furniture that can accommodate multiple ways of seating, lounging and interacting. In contrast to the standard community park bench, where social engagement is limited, Re:FRAME encourages face-to-face socializing. It is appropriate for both private and public spaces as it can handle the weather and wear and tear of the community. It is built so that it can easily disassemble for transport from one location to another or come apart fully to be re-imagined as something new.

The strata seating is inspired by the stratum and the stratigraphy drawing in the quarry at the Brick Works. With a form mimicking core samples, multiple discarded materials are re-purposed to create the different layers of the seat. Used concrete aggregate is mixed with a small percentage of fresh cement to create a stable base. The top seating surface is created from ground wine corks from the Niagara region. This creates a soft, warm platform. The middle two layers are made from wood chips and ground tires. The sawdust is from our shop and would otherwise be discarded, and includes wood from the city of Toronto taken down due to the Emerald Ash Borer infestation (through Urban Tree Salvage). The seat is sealed for outdoor use. The four seats work best together, each seat is movable to accommodate impromptu meetings or can be used alone for more solitary situations.

The ASH A356.0 series is made using over 90 per cent re-purposed materials including defective aluminum beer cans that are generously donated by Steam Whistle Brewery. The design challenges traditional metal casting techniques by incorporating part of the final furniture assembly in its own manufacture.

The process:

-the irregular A356.0 base is machined from a diseased ash log

-the sawdust from the machining process is compacted around the base to form a mould.

-recycled molten aluminum is poured directly into the mould

-the cooled casting is mated to the original wood base and functions as a stool or low table top.

For 20 years, Andre Joyau (French Designer established in Brooklyn, NY) has been collecting fallen trees, old wood from collapsed barns in Pennsylvania and piles of end pieces of wood rejected by lumbar yards, destined to be turned into mulch or firewood. He has been creating furniture from these rejects, giving glory and exposing beauty out of pieces that without his eye would have been long destroyed or turned into ashes.

This work is about creating function and clean surprising modern lines without letting the strong personality of materials taking over design.

The Lynx Constellation Table is made of seven solid wood blocks and can be used as a large table or two individual tables. Made with ebonized solid reclaimed wood and bronzed and blackened steel legs.

Sleep Shapes are sympathetic objects. Their varied forms reflect the contours of the body, and combine to create topographies of repose. Each piece suggests a particular ergonomic arrangement, while simultaneously engaging the user to find their spot within an undulating terrain. Together, the objects work as social shapes to encourage playful interactions.

This public sculpture / furniture is composed of two types of material: construction waste (plywood and lumber), and high quality, furniture-grade off-cuts. The solid wood off-cuts are scrap material diverted from the considerable waste of local wood shops, while the construction waste consists of plywood and lumber sourced from ample construction bins across the city, including the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Trashswag. These latter materials are used to create the framing of each Sleep Shape. The off-cuts are then dimensioned and joined to the frame, generating the curves required by the pieces. Furthermore, all surfaces are coated in boiled linseed oil – a natural alternative to spar oil or other toxic finishes.

Stable and sustainable, Sleep Shapes is a public sculpture which draws awareness to types of waste production that are often overlooked, while simultaneously displaying the fruits of recycling and refurbishment. Furthermore, as a public furniture, Sleep Shapes fosters a heightened sense of pedestrian engagement and delight.